Through His Stomach
by NerdwithaBook
Summary: They key to his heart is through his stomach. Ezra discovers a few things. a) The Ghost had FOOD! b) Sabine is an amazing cook. c) He likes them even more now. (Ezra really likes food.) Zeb really feels awkward. Why? Read and find out!


**Okay, so I may be distracting myself from my summer work right now, but I really want to WRITE this BABY UP! Don't you judge me.**

 **If anyone has any advice on how to make my writing better, please put it in the comments below. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels or the characters.**

 **(Is that really necessary to state?)**

Ezra:

 _I'm hungry._ My stomach grumbled.

 _When are you not?_ My brain replied.

 _Why am I so snarky to myself_? Logic wondered.

 _Would you all just shut it?!_

Sigh. _A boy's stoled fruit can only last so long. That bunny-looking (snicker) guy at the market was awfully nice to give those to me._

This is a code red emergency.

Oh, I wish I could have seen that guys face when he realized how easily he'd been tricked! At least I got some food, though.

I had been slowly munching on it until I realized there was nothing left to munch on. There hasn't been much time to dwell on that, though. For the last few days, the crew has been really busy. They were here, there, and everywhere. When everyone got back, they just crashed in their bunks, sound asleep before their heads touched the pillows.

I am beginning to adjust to this new place, so my sleep routine is getting back on track. And by this I mean that I'm up before the roosters. In Lothal, this served me pretty well, as the ( _cranky and smelly)_ guards were replaced at 8 AM. That meant that the ones on duty were tired after a night shift. Whatever shenanigans I had done the night before could definitely **not** be dealt with when a new shift came in, bright and alert ( _and showered)._ I would be shot. It was in the early morning when I could pawn off my stolen goods for credits.

Now, though, I was fairly certain that no one would be up for at least half an hour. A mischievous grin spread across my face as my mind activated. _Time for some exploring._

Being careful not to wake the royal fuzzball ( _get it, because he's purple!_ ) I slipped out from under the ( _heavenly soft and warm_ ) sheets. As soon as my socks touched the cold metal, I slipped out of the room without so much as a creak.

In the hallway, my stomach growled. I'm always hungry in the morning. That was to be expected. I was used to the cycle. After an hour or so, the hunger would disappear. Then, around noon it would come back, vanishing again until the afternoon. In the afternoon, I would get something to eat, legally if I could, but more often than not this was a laughable suggestion. Supper time followed several hours later. Usually, though, I saved some food for the morning time. When I don't, I'm a little slower and my mind is fuzzy by the afternoon.

The teen found the common room. After poking around a bit, he discovered... well, not much. He tip-toed from room to room, assessing where everything was. Then, he saw it. _Perfect_. Ezra connected one end of a battery to a piece of wire. The wire looped around a small, metal bar, which he hung, using some yarn, above the doorway. The other end of the pole was attached to another small wire. He then took the battery and added another small piece of wire to the other terminal. Both small wires were placed low on each side of the doorway, forming an incomplete H.

 _Payback_.

Judging from some footsteps in the hallway, someone was up.

 _Grumble_. Went his stomach.

 _Hey, shush._

Ezra dashed to the hallway, eager for some company. He slipped on his socks, slamming into the hall right in front of his unsuspecting amigo.

"AH!" Oops, scratch that. Amig _ **a**_. Sabine's shocked and scared expression fled, replaced by an angry one. She leaned forward grabbing the front of Ezra's flamboyant flight suit as he yelped in surprise.

"What is _wrong_ with you!" She hissed as she dragged him to his feet. "Are you _trying_ to wake everyone up!"

"If they are more fun than you, yes."

Sabine couldn't help but smile begrudgingly as she dropped his shirt. "Just be glad it didn't wake Zeb. He's a real beast if he's woken up ." She whispered over her shoulder as she marched towards the kitchen.

"So, who wakes him up _every_ day?" Ezra retorted as he scurried after her, scrambling up from his place on the floor.

"Mother nature. Or maybe himself."

The two stopped for a moment, looked at each other sideways, then dissolved into a fit of giggles.

In the kitchen, Ezra filled himself up a glass of water. _I hope we go on today's mission soon. He thought. Maybe I could get some food then._

Sabine busied herself making some tea, humming some airy melody as she swished around the room. Her hair was puffy and knotted from sleeping, but Ezra thought it was pretty as it swung back in forth with her movements.

 _Grrrrrr. grumble. grumble._

Sabine paused, spinning around and fixing him with a strange look.

"Was that _you_ , Ezra?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, why," Ezra replied, disinterested, with the shrug of one shoulder.

"Uh, because it sounds like a train is coming through." She challenged, crossing her arms at him.

"I'm just hungry." _Why is she acting so weird about this?_

 _"Then eat!_ " She huffed as she threw her hands up.

She stopped, though, when she noticed Ezra's look of confusion. _He has no clue what I'm talking about._ She realized. _He's only been with us for a few days, but before this he was on his own. How did he eat before?_

Ezra could see the gears turning. She slowly lowered her hands, then tilted her head, never taking her analytical eyes off him. _This is uncomfortable._ His fingers started to twitch before Sabine finally spoke.

"Come here," she softly urged, dragging his hand to the other side of the kitchen. Then, still holding on, she led him down a few halls.

"How often did you eat? How did you get food? How often were you hungry?" Sabine rambled as they slipped through the silent craft. Because they were in space, the halls were lit with dim lights, even though the craft had some light drifting through the windows, almost like sunlight back home.

Clearing his throat, Ezra hesitated. "I, uh. Well, umm-"

Stopping in the hallways, just before a ladder that disappeared into the ceiling. The light shined warmly against Sabine's concerned face.

"You know you can talk to me, Ezra."

 _Dang it._

He sighed, then slowly began to stutter. "I, um, ate .nearly . every day. I would sell stuff for credits or- just steal food. I'm pretty good at that, you know." He smiled shyly.

Sabine's eyes urged him on. They seemed to say _Last question, hon._

Sighing, Ezra admitted defeat. Shrugging one shoulder and staring at the hatch, he mumbled, "I'm used to hungry."

Nodding, as if she expected that, Sabine started climbing the ladder. Ezra grabbed hold and swung up after her. She reached her hand down to help him through the hole.

"Where are we going, anyways?"

He stood up, then looked around. Against the wall, four crates were stacked next to a big, metal box. Sabine didn't answer, instead she hopped over to it, flinging the door open. And Ezra thought it was the most beautiful thing he ever saw.

"Behold! The refrigerator!"

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Sabine found the sight endearing, hilarious, and heart-breaking all at the same time.

His face lit up in excitement. He was thrilled! He was like a little kid on Christmas morning. An enormous smile immediately spread across his (adorable) features as he bounded over to look inside the cool machine. The teen hesitated, then grabbed the first thing he saw: an orange. He just stared at it like he didn't know what to do with it.

 _What is he doing. It's like he doesn't know what an orange is or something! ... Oh... wait._

"That's an orange. It's a fruit."

"Oh," was the only reply. ( _Psh. Yeah, I knew that.)_

He took a bite.

Sabine giggled like a maniac as he made a face.

"It's a little tough to chew," he stated after successfully swallowing the first bite. He started licking the inside of the fruit, sending Sabine into howling laughter. She stumbled over to him, took the fruit (much to his disappointment), then peeled it. A sheepish smile creeped up on him as he plucked the fruit from her fingers, split it in half, then shared it. _He's kind of adorable._ Thought Sabine as she accidentally squirted Ezra in the face, eliciting a shout and one of his singular lopsided grins. _I love it when he looks at me like that._ She gave one of her genuine, adorable smiles before starting forward and grabbing things from the fridge. She gave (threw) half a dozen items to Ezra all at once.

The blue eyed boy yelped as (with his above average coordination skills) he somehow managed to grab them all before they hit the ground. "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed, cradling the (precious) (delicious) food in his arms. (LOL food baby!)

"Haven't you even heard of a family breakfast?" replied Sabine as she grabbed the eggs and shut the fridge.

######################################################

Sabine turned out to be quite the master of the kitchen. Ezra knew what knives were. (That was pretty much it.) (" _And the cheese grater_!" "As if that's comforting!") Ezra tried to help, but accidentally got flour on his face and in her hair. Sabine retaliated by flicking water at him. (" _Don't be a grump, 'Bine."_ "Don't be a pest, Ez.")

She shooed Ezra over to the table, where he put the plates, cups, and forks. And the syrup ("It's a necessity," Sabine insisted.) He then sat down and watched as the stack slowly grew next to her. He also noticed how her hair, after slept on, puffed out a little bit around her face and curled at the edges.

"Wait," she said as she pointed the spatula at him. "Can you make coffee?"

"Yeah, sure," Ezra was already moving for the necessary elements, "Why?"

"Let's just say that it's even more necessary than syrup."

Challenges and rebuttals were thrown around breezily. Soon enough, the last pancake was slapped down. As luck would have it, that was just as soon as a certain Lasat stumbled through the door. Sabine turned, shut off the stove, and slid a coffee mug towards the not-so-much-of-a-morning-person. Sabine winked at Ezra. They started cleaning the dished as Zeb downed two cups of black coffee.

Exra's stomach growled.

"It's barking, Ez."

"I'm just hungry."

"Feed it before it eats us all!"

Kanan and Hera walked into the room. Hera started for the tea, but slid Kanan a cup for his coffee. (Black, of course.)

"Wow, does that look good, Sabine!" Kanan remarked as he stared at the pancakes.

"You better get some before Ezra does," Hera quipped.

"Yeah," Sabine added. "I think he could eat twice as much as Zeb today."

"Nah, 'e couldn'," was the Lasat's reply.

"Never underestimate the stomach of a teenage boy," Kanan retorted with a tip of his mug.

"Hey," Ezra smirked. "Let's make this a bet. ("Of course.") If I eat more, you have to clean your side of the room. If you win, I'll give you my dinner."

Zeb's eyebrows quirked up. "Deal! More a' and excuse a' eat 'er pancakes."

(The room was spotless a day later. Ezra couldn't give up dinner!)

Also, Chopper woke up and rolled out of his room an hour later, only to be shocked and jump back. He had connected the circuit when he rolled through. Because there was no way around it, he had to wait for Hera to come retrieve him.

#####################################################

Time Lapse. Ezra is 17. Hera woke up one morning to discover that he was taller than her. Sabine couldn't believe it and kept making Zeb measure them. ("'e's clearly tall'r 'an ya, hun.") Kanan had predicted it because of the sheer amount of food the kid had managed to cram into his mouth. He then predicted that Ezra would have at least one more big growth spurt. They still called him kid.

Of course, Sunday morning brunch became a thing. Sabine was still as good of a cook as ever. This morning, they were up early together again, just like the first time. They had set the trap for chopper, then brought the supplies down. (" _Wait, why IS the fridge all the way up here?_ " "It's because of how the circuit breakers work. If we are hit by enemy fire, the power to the fridge goes. We can live without cold food, but not without guns and shields." " _Oh, that makes sense. Here I was thinking it was for easy plot development._ ")

Sabine plopped the food down and started humming. She began her whirl-wind around the kitchen, chopping potatoes, onions, peppers, and some other strange foods. Her hair was floating around her head and Ezra had to tell himself not to touch it. (It had grown longer and fuller over the past few years.) Then, the eggs were being whisked and she got that cute scrunchy-nosed look.

When Ezra asked if he could help, Sabine looked at him (not without a little uncertainty) and told him he could make the toast. (She had to explain how to use the toaster. Then they were golden.) The bacon was taken out and tossed on the pan. Ezra had never smelt such a delicious aroma in his whole life. (Who _doesn't_ like bacon?!) The toast was finished and piled high on a platter in the middle of the table. Sabine was still hard at work, but she could hold her own in the kitchen, thank you.

Ezra sat at the table watching her work again. She was really pretty. Her eyes sparkled as she observed her three dishes slowly browning, solidifying, and crisping.

A great idea suddenly hit her. "Ezra, let's make pancakes!"

Once the eggs, bacon, and potatoes were put on plates and covered with foil, Sabine helped Ezra cook his first batch of pancakes in nearly eight years.

They took out the ingredients. (Sabine rat-tailed Ezra for trying to swipe some bacon. She was rewarded with a puppy-eyed pout.) Then they measured. (Ezra nearly added a quarter cup of baking soda. Sabine ran from the other side of the kitchen to stop him. "No, no, no _no_!") Next came the mixing. (Sabine giggled as Ezra realized that mixing too hard led to a small poof of flour. He promptly sneezed, causing a dust storm to turn his face and part of his hair white. "It's just a dusting!" was the response as he wiped it off his eyes. He tried getting it off his face, although he mostly failed.) But the _really_ entertaining part was the cooking.

"They're the runt pancakes! They don't deserve to make it to the plate!" Ezra argued as he swiped the small droplets of dough as they hit the pan. He was rewarded with a sassy grin and a rat tail to the back side. When he tried to take over, he ended up burning two pancakes, then made one completely raw before Sabine shooed him away. ("You make it look so easy!") He was exiled back to the table once again.

Of course, Ezra being Ezra, he could not sit still. He really tried. He finally decided to go fill the water jug. He set it down at the table, then stared at the growing pile of warm, thick pancakes. Mmmm. Then he looked at Sabine and her poofy hair. He walked over to Sabine and plopped his head down on her shoulders, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned back into him, still holding the spatula in her hands. They stood that way for a moment, just enjoying each others presence.

"Hey 'Bine?"

" _Mmh_?"

Ezra squeezed her and nuzzled his flour covered nose on her cheek, planting a kiss before she even had time to react. She wriggled away, shocked and smiling, her mouth hanging open. _He did not just rub his floury face..._ Ezra's big blue eyes just stared back with an ecstatic, trouble making look in them. He was on his toes, ready to jump to avoid whatever attack may come his way. Sabine just slowly smiled and closed her mouth. _Challenge accepted._

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There were casualties. Mostly the kitchen. The battle ended with Ezra catching Sabine and tickling her until they were just a heap sitting on the floor. Sabine flopped her head back lazily to look at his eyes, those big blue orbs that just gazed straight into her. They would have sat there all day if they could, enjoying each other's company. Ezra was leaning forward. He rubbed his nose on hers. She softly smiled.

Then the smoke alarm went off.

They scrambled up, Ezra pushing up Sabine, then realized the burning was from the black pancakes. _Oops_.

Sabine plucked the spatula off the floor as she sprang towards the grill. She scraped off the near-charcoal and threw it in the trash. Ezra fanned the alarm with a towel until it shut off. Then he surveyed the damage. _At least it wasn't the bacon._

"Oh, man," said Sabine as she slid up onto the countertop behind her. "Look what we did to the kitchen, Ez."

There was quite a bit of flour on the floor. (At first the bag had spilled slightly, then they decided to use it as ammunition.) Also, someone had thought it was a good idea to spray water, which left wet spots on the floor, but also turned some flour into a disgusting mush. _Oh, no._

"You finish the pancakes," Ezra volunteered. "I'll clean up."

"No, that's not fair-" Sabine started, feeling guilty.

"No, really, it's fine, 'Bine. ( _Why can't I say no when he uses that nickname?)_ He shot her one of his lopsided grins. "I can't make the pancakes, anyway."

She laughed, but turned around and poured more batter onto the griddle.

"Just put more chocolate chips!"

(Sabine thought that there needed to be a 3:1 ratio of batter to chip space. To Ezra, the more, the merrier.)

She giggled.

They both set to work. Ezra swept the flour into the wet spots, using it to soak up the water and turn the mush into a paste. That, he scooped up with his hands and tossed in the trash. After that, he dried and washed the floor. Sabine made more delicious pancakes. Friendly banter went back and forth as the two worked. Ezra started washing dishes. Sabine started humming again and, shocker, Ezra started getting distracted. When he walked by her to put away the pans, he paused and played with a strand of her hair for a second. She rolled her eyes. _Is he going to put MORE flour there? What is he doing?_

Just then, Zeb stumbled into the kitchen. Ezra jumped back, cheeks burning. Of course, the Lasat just stared at him with a confused look on his face.

"Dang! Sorry, Zeb! I forgot to make your coffee," Sabine said from across the kitchen as she put another pancake on the pan.

Zeb didn't even register that she was talking. He was staring at Ezra as he busied himself with the dishes. Then, he glanced back and forth between the two human teenagers.

"Uh, Ezra..." _Is there somethin' goin' on 'ere? Did I miss somethin'? Oh, karabast! Wha'd I walk in on? Why is Ezra th' only one actin' weird?_

"Her hair's just really pretty!" he awkwardly bursted out, turning a deeper shade of red when he heard his own words.

Zeb noticed her look of surprise, then her small smile, then her deep red blush. She turned and leaned down, pretending to clean something.

 _Oh, karabast._

 _Those idiots better not've ruined ma' breakfast._

 **Author's Note: Okay, what is wrong with me? Yesterday, I found the Ezra and Sabine ship totally weird, but today it's super cute? Someone set me strait. In the comments. What group should I be in? Seriously, people, this was just going to be a family fic until I got halfway through and changed the plot line! Also, I apologize if there are any grammar mistakes, but it is REALLY late and I can't catch everything.**


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